We’re all professionals, right? Secure adults with business degrees, titles, and impressive resumes. And yet, that doesn’t always prevent jealousy in the workplace. Jealousy is a natural human reaction, although not one of our best. We can learn to control it, but we can’t always stop the ugly green monster from creeping into our thoughts.

Jealousy in the workplace can surface in any number of situations. For example, when:

• The boss shows favoritism
• Someone gets a promotion over you
• A colleague is rumored to have gotten a raise
• Another team member’s ideas are chosen over yours
• Praise is given out for a job well done, but you’re overlooked
• An associate’s performance outshines yours
• Everything seems so “easy” for a certain co-worker

The list of reasons to feel that tinge of jealousy in the workplace is endless. Even those with a healthy dose of self-confidence may end up envious of a colleague every now and then. As long as you don’t react to the jealousy, let it take over your thoughts, or lose your own self-assuredness, you’ll be able to keep that green monster from rearing its ugly head.

The problem comes in when you begin to behave like a DUD. If you obsess about others’ accomplishments and let jealousy in the workplace eclipse your own abilities, you end up stifling your forward progression. Worse still, if you act on your jealousies, you’re portraying yourself as petty and self-centered. When that happens, you need to take a step back and reevaluate your priorities.

If you find yourself envious of a co-worker, here are a few tricks to keep the jealousy at bay:

• Stop comparing. Keep your goals internally focused. What you do or don’t achieve has nothing to do with what someone else is or isn’t accomplishing. If you constantly gauge your happiness or measure your success by comparing it to those around you, you’ll always be disappointed. The grass is always greener…so stop looking at other people’s lawns and focus on keeping your own lush and healthy.
• Get over it. Easier said than done, right? Not really. As a strong, confident business leader, you have all the tools at your disposal to simply move on and concentrate on being a WOW. Remember that your journey may involve others, and may be shared with others, but it’s yours to take. And it’s yours to make. Don’t make it about what others are doing–get over it and get on with achieving your own success.
• Redirect the emotion. When jealousy in the workplace flares, redirect your emotional reaction into positive channels. Instead of letting someone else’s success get you down, use it to challenge and inspire yourself to improve, work harder, and light a fire of motivation within.
• Show support, not spite. Choose to be happy and supportive when others, especially co-workers and fellow team members, receive accolades or accomplish great things. Instead of being green with envy, be gracious and genuine about sharing in their success. After all, if you were in their position, you’d hope for support and camaraderie, not spitefulness, anger, or jealousy. Taking the high road will help you feel better about yourself and you’ll quickly recover from any temporary bouts of envy.

Your career path will be laden with ups and downs–not just yours, but those around you as well. As you bear witness to the successes and failures of colleagues, co-workers, and team members, use those examples to lift yourself up, not bring you down. If you start to feel jealousy in the workplace, kick the green monster to the curb and move confidently ahead down the path of WOW leadership.

–Sheri Staak